Just write

For academic staff working with postgraduate or PhD candidates, assisting students with writing difficulties is likely to come as an unexpected challenge. Although students at this level have already successfully completed their degree, the demands of postgraduate work may stretch their writing skills in new ways.

So in order to help postgraduate students to polish up their writing skills, a new Writing Fellow has joined the University’s Learning Enhancement Unit, thanks to funding from the Royal Literary Fund. Bill Kirton is the University’s first Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow. He will be based at the University on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the rest of this academic year.

Having held one of the first Royal Literary Fund's Writing Fellowship posts in Scotland at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen between 2000-2002, Bill has substantial experience in the type of problems commonly encountered by students. He explains, "I won’t do the writing for the student, but l can talk them through ideas and suggest approaches and discuss possible structures.  I can also look at their work with a view to helping them develop their writing style."

Previously a lecturer in French at the University of Aberdeen, Bill has also been a television presenter, has written and directed commercial and educational videos and has written reviews, and stage and radio plays.  He has published two crime novels, Material Evidence and Rough Justice and is a prize-winning translator.

Consultations for final year undergraduate and postgraduate students on any aspect of academic or creative writing especially dissertations and theses are available by contacting justwrite@dundee.ac.uk or by telephone on extensions 4532 or 4308.

In addition to student sessions, Bill will also be holding staff development sessions. These will be aimed at helping staff to identify students who might benefit from assistance with their writing, and teaching constructive feedback methods.

The first workshop, 'Write it Right' will take place on 15 December between 2-4.30pm.  Bill will be joined by Kathleen McMillan, the Academic Skills Advisor, in an examination of how students can be guided to develop their writing skills by means of feedback on their written work.

A second workshop, 'Just Write' will be offered in semester two. It will explore expectations about students’ writing and examine strategies that might be employed in departments and in courses to help students develop their abilities to produce a good standard of academic writing.

To sign up for either of these workshops, contact Morag Pollard, in the Staff Development Office by phoning extension 8213 or by emailing: m.j.pollard@dundee.ac.uk

For further information about other LEU writing support programmes including 'Writing by Appointment' which offers a similar service to undergraduate students in years 1, 2 and 3, please contact k.m.mcmillan@dundee.ac.uk or telephone extension 4532.